REUNION
by Kafryne
Summary: Just an little one shot of my vision of Carol and Daryl Reunion in Season 4


Thanks to thesilentbeauty who traduce this story!

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He was exhausted, completely aimless. Daryl never felt that lonely in his whole life. He lost Beth's tracks the previous day and after all the events back at the prison; the odds were that he might be the only remaining survivor from their group. Surrounded by this dense forest, he pursued his way knowing he didn't have any more goals in life. Why bother fighting when there was nothing left to fight for? It wasn't a life. There was nothing left for him in this damn world. Ever since his childhood, he believed that staying alive wasn't really worth it. After all, his mom used to be an alcoholic for years before she burned into ashes on a sordid summer night. His dad was an asshole who did nothing but abuse him when he felt like it. And his big bro, Merle, made a lot of mistakes all his life but he unfortunately redeemed himself too late. He got killed and turned into one of those walkers before he had to put him down. He shivered at the memory of Merle's death, the day he lost a part of himself with him. The only thing that kept him going to this day was the people counting on him to survive. He believed the group had been a second chance to start a new life where he could finally feel at home. He had found his place in this new family built within the challenges they had to face every day. But now, he believed Rick, his friend and brother, had perished in the battle. He thought that Carl, this young strong kid must have died in horrible conditions, too.

Daryl was surprised to feel a tear race down his cheek. The last images of Hershel ran through his mind. He should have known better that humans were as dangerous as walkers in this new kind of world. No one could have survived this attack back at the prison. Not even Michonne who was skilled and very intelligent. As he kept walking, he heard something crack behind his back and he understood that a walker was a few yards away from him. Despite the horrible noise that he kept hearing in the background, he never stopped to put him down. But the noise got louder after each step and he finally realized that there wasn't only one of them behind him. As he turned around, he saw six starving walkers heading in his direction. He knew he wouldn't have enough arrows in his crossbow. He only had enough to kill three of them. For a quick second, he hesitated in using any of them. He could just abandon everything and let the walkers eat him alive. It would hurt. It would get gruesome. But he would finally be done with it. Fortunately, his survival instincts were stronger than his pain and in an instant; he managed the first ones coming for him. With an arrow, he shot the skull of a woman who might have been just as joyful as Beth when she was alive. With another arrow, he shot a man who had been too young to die, just like Glenn. A knot emerging in his throat, he shot another woman before retrieving all the arrows from their skulls. Without losing any more time, he killed two more walkers in close range. The last one was a kid that he shot just in time before he was on him. It was a close call. Disgusted and out of breath, he stepped away in the forest, letting the darkness devour him. His back collided with a tree and he fell down on the hard ground. Eyes closed, a figure appeared in front of him. The anxiety was building up in him. The last time he had seen her, she looked so preoccupied. He wished he could have erased all her worries just so she could smile again. A smile that could make the pain vanishes completely. A smile that he managed to make appear on her soft lips more than once, although he felt like he didn't deserve it. During those last few months, the only thing that seemed to appease him was Carol's presence, even when it was very discrete. He was surprised the first time he realized that he felt a strong affection towards her. Him that never felt anything like this in his whole miserable life. He was moved by how this whole story with Sophia really weighed on Carol. He wished his mom could have shown the same attention to him when he was a kid. When Sophia died, he wanted to give up on everything and leave the group for good. But Carol didn't want him to pull away, never allowed him to. She was the first person to ever show concern for him. He did nothing to encourage her but there she was, insisting he was a valuable member of the group. All this time, she has been his anchor. And what did he do for her? Nothing. He never supported her when Sophia died. He went off with Merle at the first occasion he got. He wasn't even there when Rick banished her. He had been a real disappointment. She'll never know how much she did for him. How much she changed him. He'll never get the chance to tell her what he's been thinking all this time. He had strong feelings that he wasn't able to communicate, anyway. He never had been a man of words. But he felt love for Carol. Had she been able to defend herself against the walkers? He thought he could hear her whisper: "Nine lives remember?" Nine lives…If it could have been true. What an idiot he was. There were weeks where he really tried to talk to her in private so he could share his feelings. He hoped she wouldn't reject him. He wished she could feel the same way. In this apocalyptic world, there was finally this chance he could build something for himself. For him and Carol. But he had been a fool and he waited too long until it was too late. What he wouldn't give to embrace her right now. Just one time. Run his fingers in her short hair, feel her skin against his, kiss her…  
"Daryl" a voice murmured.  
Great. He could now hear her sweet voice. He could even feel her fingertips on his cheek.  
"Daryl, I found you this time. Open your eyes." Carol's voice continued.  
He wanted to do it but an intense light blinded him. His body was all sore but he managed to raise his hand to touch the Angel in front of him. He just wanted to savour the moment.  
"Hey Pookie. Nap time is done. Wake up." Carol's voice said, impatient.  
He finally opened his eyes and a strong emotion eradiated his whole body. It has her. He couldn't help but drown in her blue eyes.  
"Is this paradise? Am I dreamin'?" he muttered softly, looking innocent.  
She laughed and the sound of it was delightful to Daryl's ears.  
"No. You are definitely still alive, sorry." Carol pursued.  
He was so stunned that he didn't react as Carol wrapped him in her comforting arms.  
"Carol. You survived." Daryl said, his head against her chest.  
"Yes. And so did you."  
Carol detached herself from Daryl a little bit to look at him.  
"Are you hurt?" she asked, worried.  
He could feel her worrying and he wanted to erase her fear.  
"No…Carol, there's a lot of things I need ya to know." Daryl answered.  
"I know."

She stroked his face and he understood that he didn't need to talk at all. A single look explained everything there was to know. Slowly, she leaned closer and laid her forehead against his. Daryl's eyes stared at her trembling lips. He stroked them with his fingertips just to make sure she was real. Their lips finally met into a chaste kiss full of tenderness. The second kiss deepened and their tongues slowly danced together. He wanted to remember everything about this moment. As they pulled away, a silence floated in the air.  
"Daryl, everything will go fine now that we're together." Carol finally said, offering a small smile.  
Daryl nodded, his heart filled with hope. He smiled back at her and stood up, offering her his hand. Wherever they were heading, they would continue their journey together. It was all that really mattered in the end.


End file.
